ON THE ROSE 



The white and buff Banksias, which are abun- 

 dantly grown in California for ornamenting 

 houses, trees, and arbors, have proved of service 

 because they are very rapid growers, and are 

 practically without thorns. 



The Rosa gymnocarpa, which is indigenous to 

 British America and California, is a pretty and 

 graceful rose, producing fine single flowers that 

 grow in large clusters, and having the element of 

 hardiness that characterizes the wild plant. 



The Chinese rose, in numerous varieties (Rosa 

 Chinensis), and the Japanese rose (Rosa rugosa), 

 have made their influence felt in many hybrids. 

 So also has the Wichuriana. The seedpods of the 

 Japanese species are unusually large and hand- 

 some. The hybridization of the Japanese rose 

 with the Bon Silene and with other strains, includ- 

 ing the Hermosa, produced a number of admirable 

 roses that I have introduced, including the Pipette, 

 Coquito, and Peach Blow. 



The General Jacqueminot, one of the best 

 known of the hardy perpetual bloomers, is itself a 

 hybrid — as indeed are all other cultivated roses, 

 no doubt, could we know their precise pedigree. 



It is a hardy and prolific plant, and its qualities 

 are curiously prepotent when it is crossed with 

 other varieties. This applies not merely to the 

 form and color of the flower itself but to the entire 



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